Sketches
by Tyki's Pleasure
Summary: "I did want that back." The voice like silk all but purred in his ear as Lavi realised too late that he was nervously sipping from a coffee that was not his. Lavi's blush darkened as the beautiful stranger took the cup back and drank deeply.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, just something random I thought of and posted to kill time. Had a busy last two weeks at work and this was bugging me for awhile. Hopefully will be updating my other stories too soon. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>It would be today, the day that should be the first day of his life.<p>

Late for his job interview; not enough to call for a taxi; and to top it all off his shoes were ruined. Leather was not made for running, much less all terrain sprinting from his front door to the main road in the never ending spring deluge.

The bus was already pulling away from the stop when Lavi was rounding the corner, skidding through a puddle in time to see the smug real estate agent waving happily from rear advertisement. Another would not be coming for at least another ten minutes, wait that long and he might as well forget about even turning up.

Fate smiled on Lavi as the light changed from amber to red. The bus was stalled at the lights; maybe just maybe he could beat the vehicle to the next stop. Praying to every god conceivable Lavi raced up the road. He was panting heavily and brushing aside the wet hair matted to his forehead when the bus doors opened and finally tapped his pass as if handing over the relay baton.

Lavi promised himself he would start going to the gym again when he had enough to pay for bills again. The driver raised an eyebrow at Lavi's dishevelled appearance before giving a dismissive shake of his head. Mondays are not for everyone after all.

What was it about rainy days that made buses even busier than usual? Lavi thought as he swam through the crowded lower deck. Taller than most, the red head did not have too much trouble and apologised as he pushed passed backpacks and handbags. He nestled himself in a corner and too foggy to actually look out Lavi watched the windows sweat in the heat of too many bodies for distraction.

Now that he was on route to the office the butterflies began to claw at his insides. He was not exactly fresh out of university, nor was he coming off the end of an amazing soul searching gap year around the world. How was he going to explain away the lack of any work history? Sorry but I had to quit university and barely graduated in the end, but please hire me otherwise I'll be homeless before the end of the month. Somehow Lavi did not think that would cut it.

Hugging his portfolio to his chest Lavi mentally went through all the notes he had gathered on the company, which had been difficult since internet connection had been cut off for the last month. All of his research had to be done the old fashioned way, at the library. Lavi supposed he should count himself lucky that he had received the call for interview before the telephone line had also been cut.

Noah's Ark, a clothing boutique established 35 years ago. Maybe three stores city wide but recently began gaining influence as the new administration invested in big name models to promote brand new lines. In his portfolio the red head had prepared concepts for two of these models already revealed to have signed lucrative contracts with the Ark bosses. Kanda Yuu, a male Japanese model, who appealed to the growing market of fashionable young men and Lulubell Noah, the beautiful granddaughter of Adam Noah, the founder of Noah's Ark.

The other passengers swayed along with the movements of the bus, stirring only when they needed to give away for others to get on or get off. The dark grey clouds above were as subdued as the sleepy Monday morning commuters. With any luck he would make it from the bus stop to the office without getting struck by the rain.

"Excuse me, can you hold this a moment?" A cardboard coffee cup was thrust under his nose and Lavi grabbed it quickly before the contents landed all over his jacket. The owner of the cup, a tall tanned man sporting a pony tail was too busy rummaging through his pockets with one hand to even nod a thank you. The other hand was holding a sleek expensive phone, into which he was currently talking very loudly.

"Lenalee, move the 9'oclock to 10. There's no way I'll be making it on time … The models? What about them? Tell them they'll just have to sit in… No… This is your fault Lenalee! Just change it!"

Lavi clutched the cup tightly, carefully balancing to prevent any spillages. He watched the angry man argue down the phone. The suit was well made, dark grey and cut perfectly. Lavi imagined quite a bit of expensive tailoring went into that suit. He taller than Lavi, only slightly but it was off putting to feel the difference, he was usually the tallest in any given room. Lavi could not help sneaking glances at the broad shoulders or the sharp jawline. He hoped the man would turn his head so he could see what he looked like.

Gold eyes flicked in his direction shocking Lavi before flicking away again with a slight upturn of his lips. Lavi had to clear his throat and avert his gaze as the man started shrugging off his damp jacket. He had been admiring the open snow white collar, and the defined bones they revealed. He could think of a dozen ways to sketch and dress this man.

"I did want that back." The voice like silk all but purred into his ear. Lavi felt his face grow hot as he realised too late that he had nervously sipped from the cup in his hand. The other man slipped the phone back into his pocket and Lavi blushed even deeper as he took the cup from him and drank deeply. Lavi shifted uncomfortably as the man continued to watch him.

"Sorry, not having a good morning today. I have an interview in twenty minutes and not too optimistic at the moment." He said mostly to fill the awkward silence.

"You and me both, you probably heard me trying to rearrange some meetings." The man grinned apologetically at Lavi and his heart skipped a bit. The man was gorgeous. Gold eyes that had to be contact lenses under dark brows looked down on him. And a well placed love spot sat under his left eye. Stop staring, Lavi warned himself. "My secretary insists I take public transport to work at least once a month so I don't forget my roots or some such rubbish. She's bribed my housekeeper to steal my car keys on a random day each month. I really should fire her."

"The housekeeper or the secretary?" Lavi quipped. The other laughed heartily, the sound made Lavi feel quite proud that he had caused it. "I thought your suit looked too expensive for the bus."

The man leaned in close to Lavi's ear. "I know. I saw you looking."

"I – I wasn't you know…. not like that you know…" Lavi stammered and cursed the bus voice over for not calling his stop already.

"Tyki Mikk." The man offered a hand. "And I'm flattered, not offended so stop looking like you've tipped this cup of coffee down my suit trousers."

The name sounded familiar, but that was the least of Lavi's worries as he felt rather than saw the man, Tyki Mikk, appraising him up and down. "Have you ever modelled? You have a great build for it. Tall, slim, and great colouring."

"Erm thank you. No I haven't, I prefer to be behind the camera. I design clothes. Well try to anyway." The beautiful stranger was still watching him even though his phone was ringing again. Lavi could not bear the weight of his looks, boring into him. Men like this were not the kind he usually found, Tyki Mikk was clearly out his league. "Excuse me the next stop is mine."

"If this job doesn't work out, look me up. Just say it's the cute red head who likes to sip free coffee." Tyki winked as a mortified Lavi passed him to get off the bus. Lavi only managed to laugh nervously by way of response.

He grateful for the fresh air when he got off the bus. The sky looked as if it had made up its mind to hold back the rain for the rest of the day. Even more so when he discovered that the Noah's Ark store was only a short distance away from the stop. That would be convenient should he get the job. The store had yet to open so Lavi had to rap on the window with his knuckles before he caught the attention of a white haired boy who promptly opened the door to let him in.

"Interview?" The boy smiled warmly. "There's quite a few of you upstairs. You're late."

Lavi groaned. "They haven't started interviewing yet have they?"

The boy took a handful of sweaters from a tote box and began folding. "Don't worry, the finance guy is late as well. So no, not started yet. I can take you up if you like?"

Lavi thanked the boy who led him up a set of polished stairs and told him to sit on the end of a long bench, currently occupied by four other hopefuls. Each of whom looked much better prepared and better presented than Lavi did right now in his current state.

The clock ticked 9:30am but still the interviews had not started. Lavi had already counted all the red bricks in the wall by then and began naming them when the door to the interview room still had not opened.

Lavi had begun to day dream of all the things he could have been doing and all the sleep he could have been sleeping had he known he would have had all this extra time. The clock ticked loudly on the wall. Was that on purpose? The others sitting beside Lavi looked more nervous than he did.

"Lavi Bookman." A clear voice like the tinkling of a bell called to him.

"Thank freaking finally" Lavi mumbled under his breath. The oriental woman at the door clutched a clipboard to her chest, smiling encouragingly. After Lavi followed her through the door, she shut the door firmly behind. "Take a seat please."

For the second time that day, Lavi's heart stopped. He recognised three of the faces at the table.

Sitting opposite the lone chair in the middle of the room were Kanda Yuu and Lulubell Noah the models he had sketched for.

And next to them, wearing a look of the utmost delight was the man from the bus:

Tyki Mikk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you the reviews, favs and follows. Glad that you like this story. I'm going to work on this one for a little longer before I go back to my other fics. It's a bit of a welcome break to refresh my head. I've been writing Pressure for three years... I really should speed up.**

**Anywho hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

* * *

><p>The interview room was quite small. With only a desk; some chairs that looked as if they had been requisitioned last minute; and a wastepaper basket in the corner, it was not particularly inviting. The woman with clipboard tapped Lavi's shoulder and indicated the chair once again. Lavi tore his eyes away from Tyki Mikk, who was grinning openly at him from the table. He handed his portfolio to Clipboard and sat down.<p>

"Good morning." He said weakly. Besides the two bored looking models and Tyki Mikk there was a bespectacled man, the lead interviewer Lavi assumed. Clipboard handed the portfolio to him and he riffled through before handing it back.

"Can you make some photocopies for us all? It might be best to ask the others if they have brought along portfolios too and make some copies." The speaker handed the portfolio to Clipboard and smiled jovially at Lavi.

"Would you like some water or tea while we wait Mr Bookman?" The interviewer had a very easy going air about him. Lavi would have felt comfortable if not for the hostile stares from the models. Not to mention the gorgeous man he was trying his best to ignore.

"No thank you."

"I think coffee would be more to his taste Komui." Tyki Mikk drawled from his side of the table, the end of a pen hanging idly from his mouth. Lavi desperately wished he had never come, that a hole in the ground could swallow him up right now. And if the tension was not thick enough Kanda Yuu was now looking curiously between the two.

"No really, I'm alright. Thank you."

"Are you sure? Alright then, let's get started." Spectacles clapped his hands together and shuffled some papers on the table. "My name is Komui; officially I'm the executive manager of the Noah's Ark stores in the city. Unofficially I'm the man who keeps the sanity of our employees."

"Please Komui, you almost sound as if you do any work around here."

"Tyki, making me look bad in front of the new arrivals already? They should at least have some faith in their executive manager to begin with." Komui laughed loudly. Lavi found himself warming to him. "Let me introduce Lulubell Noah and Kanda Yuu. Due to some unfortunate timetabling errors –"

"That wouldn't have happened if someone didn't steal my car keys." Lavi followed Tyki's gaze to the door where Clipboard stood looking smug. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to hand out the photocopies.

" –our two headline pin ups will be here too and maybe share some insight into the proposals we will see today." Komui pressed on over the mini spat between Tyki and his secretary. "Please tell us about yourself."

Now all eyes were on him. Lavi cleared his throat and focused on the odd beret that Komui was wearing. Where to begin? He always hated this part of interviews where he was expected to summarise his life up and serve it on a modest yet self-glorifying platter. What did he have to offer? A big fat total of nothing.

"My name is Lavi Bookman, but you already know that." Kanda rolled his eyes and Lulubell gazed vapidly out of the small window, her head resting in her palm. Keep calm and carry on, Lavi told himself. "I'm twenty-four years old…"

"And your favourite colour is blue and you like eating cake. Tell us something not on your CV." The harsh bark came from Kanda. The disgruntled man was slouched in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. A rather sloppy posture for a model, Lavi observed disdainfully. The others around the table did not seem surprised at the outburst; Komui kept on smiling; Lulubell was still staring out of the window; and Tyki just gave him a commiserating look.

"Actually I didn't add those fun facts on my CV but good guess. And just so you know my favourite food is yakiniku." Tyki burst out laughing at the response and Lavi again felt a wave of pleasure at having caused that sound.

"I do believe you've just been sassed Kanda. Now you don't see that every day, I think I like this kid." Tyki met Lavi's eyes directly and winked. Lavi was forced to look away quickly, fighting the warm flush creeping up his collar. "A designer should never let himself be bullied by his models. Good work."

"Who says he's hired?" Kanda retorted. The murderous waves coming off him were clear for everyone to see but oddly Lavi felt more at ease with the hostility. It was much preferred to the endless scrutiny he felt in other interviews. This was somehow more genuine.

"So why did you apply to Noah's Ark, Mr Bookman? Why do you want to work with us?" Komui interlocked his fingers and rested his chin gently on top. The room was quiet now, except for the turning of pages as the others looked through the booklet of concepts.

Lavi laughed nervously, "If I could be so bold, I'd like to ask you a question."

Komui sat up a little straighter at the request, intrigued. Similarly Tyki lifted his head from the papers, glancing sideways at Komui. His expression was unreadable to Lavi.. With the evil glares he was getting from one model and the complete indifference from the other, Lavi was pretty sure this interview would end like all the others: He would leave the room at the end of fifteen minutes with the promise of a call back and still without a job. Komui seemed nice enough, but he doubted the concepts would be impressive and Tyki was clearly just here for a laugh. What did he have to lose in asking?

"To be completely honest, I didn't know about your company until I saw the job ad. But I applied because… well because I need the job. I studied Fashion and Costume Design, so the chance to design my own clothes was a dream. Noah's Ark is not a large company, a great place to start a career. You have been operating for just under 40 years, so it has proved to quite a robust business. But you've just hired two high profile models to be the new faces of your brand line this summer. Surely you already have concepts and designers lined up; so why are you advertising for a no name graduate to dress your prized trophies?"

The question hung in the air as the interviewers pondered on a response. Tyki called Clipboard over and whispered something into her ear. An errand perhaps, as she left the room promptly.

"That's quite a provocative question. Why do you think we're advertising for a 'no name'?" Komui asked at length.

"Before you answer I want you to have a look at something." Tyki cut in. Clipboard had returned with a stack of project files in hand. She laid these on the table before them all. Tentatively Lavi reached out to flip through one of the folders. It contained a series of design ideas, beautiful patterns and concepts for all seasons. The next folder was the same if not more elaborate in its plans. His puny portfolio could not compete with these. The flourishes and finishes were so distinctive; here were top artists spilling their hearts and minds on paper.

"These are amazing, these motifs are so distinguishable. How can you not choose one of these?" Lavi was incredulous that Noah's Ark could afford to turn down such designers. Budget?

"There is something bigger at stake than money here Mr Bookman." Was the man reading his mind now? Tyki was serious in his countenance, the casual humour from before gone. "You said it yourself. These designers are far too recognisable. Noah's Ark started as a family business, and the worst thing we could do to damage our ethos is to sell a name bigger than our own. We risk losing our identity."

Lavi considered this for a moment.

"So you would much rather have someone at a grass root level, a budding talent you could make your own? Makes sense, seeing as one of your high profiles is the CEO's granddaughter."

"Exactly," Komui clapped his hands again. "And Kanda is only here because his boyfriend has been our 'Employee of the Month' for the past six."

At the mention of his boyfriend, Kanda growled, apparently kicking Komui under the table judging from the pained wince.

"Well if it's originality that you're after than that's something I can definitely deliver." An excited tremor ran through Lavi at the thought. He had always been confident that although he found inspiration in the design greats, his own concepts were quite different and he had his own distinct personal signature.

"I agree," Lulubell spoke for the first time. "I quite like this sci-fi fairy tale concept, it's a bit cliché but that dress is beautiful. I can imagine a suitable for retail version of that. You have my hair too dark though. Didn't you know I'm blonde?"

Lavi glowed with the compliment. "I knew, but the shading added an extra depth to your features. If you haven't tried being raven already Ms Noah, I suggest you do. You would look stunning."

Lulubell looked pleased with the placation and went back to scrutinising the drawings. Kanda too seemed impressed, though less inclined to verbalise praise.

The rest of the interview was spent discussing the concepts that Lavi had laid out for them. By the end Lavi was feeling fairly positive; he was even able to get through the interview without another sarcastic remark from Kanda. Every time the man opened his mouth, Tyki was quick to cut across him a quip or a comment, to which Lavi was eternally grateful. He even allowed himself to smile at the tanned man.

They shook hands and Komui promised Lavi a call back before the end of the day. When it came to shaking Tyki's hand, Lavi could have sworn that the other man held for longer than was necessary. He shrugged off the feeling of being watched and left the interview with a much lighter heart than he had this morning.

The return journey was a lot easier compared to the trek that was the incoming journey this morning. With the early rush hour over, Lavi was actually able to find a seat on the bus. The rain had let up and though the sky was still overcast Lavi imagined a silver lining existed up there somewhere. God knows he needed one. For just a little while, Lavi closed his eyes; for just a little while, Lavi allowed his head to rest against the cool glass of the window.

"Martel Place."

The imperturbable voice over calling out Lavi's stop jerked him awake. Scrambling to grab his portfolio, Lavi jammed the stop button and raced to the door. Finally he would be able to crawl into his bed and be lost to the world. The sight that met his eyes when he arrived at his front door blew that plan straight out of his mind. The portfolio slipped from his frozen digits and landed in a puddle, where it soaked up the dirty water, the pages quickly turning brown.

The minute landlord he had dubbed 'Panda-san' was standing in the door way supervising what appeared to be bailiffs as they removed various articles from the small apartment.

"What do you think you're doing? Rent isn't due until the end of the month!" Lavi ran at the nearest goon who was carrying an ornate quill collection. "That was hers! Give that back!"

He successfully wrenched the glass case away, not even glancing back at the death glare the goon sent him. Lavi's mind was already set on another one who was carrying out a frame with the photograph still inside. "What the hell is this about old man?!"

The landlord stood on his tip toes, his eyes narrowed as the men reluctantly put down the items they were carrying. "You're too sentimental. All this stuff is useless to you now. You should be more concerned about keeping up with rent."

"I said you will have it all at the end of the month. You had no right to do this!" Lavi pulled at his hair, struggling to control the rage welling up inside him.

"My property, my right," Panda-san turned on his heel, stopping only to call over his shoulder, "See to it that you do pay it all next month. I won't be so lenient next time. There are plenty of other tenants ready to move in, all of whom with the means to afford their stay."

The threat rang dully in Lavi's ears as he focussed on not throttling the little demon there and then.

It was not until Lavi was collecting his precious memories off the cold wet, ground that he realised his phone line was disconnected and had no means to receive the call from Noah's Ark.

* * *

><p>"If you don't like it go to Komui." Tyki grinned at the ultimatum, knowing full well that Komui would have by now found a very good hiding spot to weather the storm that was Kanda's wrath. The loud grinding of teeth told Tyki that Kanda knew it too. "Really you shouldn't endanger those pearly whites."<p>

After the red head had left the interview room two hours earlier, Tyki had left too, announcing that there was no need to interview any further; a proposal that Kanda took great umbrage to. Lulubell was happy to agree with Tyki, and Komui as usual was happy as long as he did not have to do much.

Ever since Kanda had been following Tyki around the building fuming.

The raven-haired model was leaning against the wall in Tyki's office staring full on spears at the man. Lenalee had come in and out a few times now, each time giving Kanda a wide berth. Though she was sure he would not snap at her, he wouldn't dare, Lenalee did not want to be dragged into the petty argument.

"The boy isn't anything special, why are you so set on him, Mikk?" Kanda demanded.

"The boy?" The lovely red had certainly left quite an impression on the resident grump. "A bit rich coming from a twig of thing like you. And he's older than you too."

"That's beside the point." A nerve twitched on his brow.

"Didn't you like his concepts?" Tyki asked nonchalantly. A small smile played about his lips as Kanda struggled to answer the question. How could he word a response to show that Lavi Bookman was not the designer they were looking for?

The sound of teeth grinding filled the office again. "I'm not saying that he's ideas were bad, but how can you pick after only one interview? You didn't even ask him any real questions, like what has been doing for the three years since graduating? References?"

"Sometimes you just get a feeling." Tyki shrugged.

"Oh I know exactly what kind of feeling you were getting from him. Don't think I didn't see those looks you were giving him. This is a business not Tyki Mikk's personal dating service!"

Tyki sat with his head in his palm watching the younger man. Kanda was getting far too worked up something that did not really concern him. "Did our beloved Earl die and name you his successor? You're lucky you were even allowed in to the interview room. I would have hired him anyway."

"I may be doing this only as a favour for Allen, but this is my livelihood, Mikk. I don't want you playing around with my career in your hands. What he makes I will have to wear. And I know you Mikk. The last thing I want to see is you messing around with the new designer and then dropping him. What do you think that will do to the working environment?"

The phone rang, cutting into their conversation. Tyki answered and after a few affirmatives he hung up. Kanda looked at him inquiringly. "Lenalee can't get through to Bookman."

Tyki rose to his feet and pulled on his jacket. He stopped at the door, "If it makes you happy, Kanda I'll make you a deal." The raised eyebrow told him to continue. "I'm going to go and offer the job to Bookman. We all agreed that we liked his ideas and plans, and from the sounds of it he has his head screwed on right. He's not a fuzzy headed dreamer in rolled up jeans and cardigans."

Kanda self-consciously pulled at his cardigan. "He thinks business, I'll give you that."

Tyki blew out his cheeks, damned Kanda, why did he have to put up such a barrier? "My job is to watch where the money goes so ultimately I get the last say in this. But to make it easier for you I'll promise you that I won't 'mess around' with the new guy. Deal?"

"How can I trust you?"

It had been such a pleasant surprise to run into the red head so soon after meeting him this morning. That little encounter almost made Tyki want to ride the bus to work again. Now here was Kanda Yuu taking all the fun away from him. He let out a resigned sigh.

"If I make a move on the guy before the big launch this September then I'll… I'll give you my car. I know Allen has been eying it up. Get Lenalee to write something up if you want."

With that Tyki left the office and roared to Lenalee to produce his car keys at once, the hell if she thought he would be getting on the bus for this. Meanwhile Kanda was considering his reflection in the window and fixed his outfit. What the hell was Tyki's problem with rolled jeans and cardigans anyway?

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. And apologies for all the grammatical mistakes and typos you may or may not have noticed.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone, hope you're all enjoying the winter break or if you have returned to school or work I hope that you are well rested!**

**I need to go back to work soon too so this may be my last update until I get free time again. **

**Guest: Thank you for reviewing! Your hunch would be correct. I threw in a bit of Yullen in here. I've changed some of the character relationships in this fic. Allen isn't really one of the Noah here, just a well loved employee in the company. And Bookman is not Lavi's relation. Simply his grouchy old landlord. Hope that clears up any confusions. If you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask! :)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Lavi Bookman lived on a side street just off the main road. A row of terraced homes lined each side; the post tabs mounted on the walls denoted the conversion of the houses into smaller living spaces and apartments. A dog barked from one of the many windows looking down on the road as Tyki parked on the kerb.<p>

The SatNav assured him this was the correct destination despite his reservations over the state of the pavement. Music was blaring from an open window somewhere and black bin bags leaned against tired looking lamp posts. Up and down the walkway, paving slabs were broken, cradling small puddles of brown water. Everyone has to start somewhere, he thought eyeing the condition of the street.

Getting out of the car Tyki felt grossly out of place. The other cars parked here were in no better state than the street. Like a polished onyx stone in a mud pile, Tyki's sleek sports car stuck out almost painfully. Leaving his most cherished possession out here was beginning to cause him anxiety. After double checking the lock for the third time Tyki finally descended the broken cement steps leading to the basement conversion flat below.

Unlike the other houses, the space in front of the narrow green door was kept clear. No useless clutter, no bins, boots, or other such rubbish occupied the area. Someone clearly took pains to ensure that this door stop was not as trashy at the other houses. Tyki admired that, no point letting your own standards being dragged down by your surroundings. The only other item on the little landing was one long trough pot containing small white flowers. Tasteful.

Tyki looked up disdainfully at the apartment above. The windows were opened wide, gracing the entire street with the fake applause of some classless daytime TV show, along with the cloying smell of something not quite medicinal. The cold familiarity of the 'not bothered to even be working' class made his skin crawl.

Get the job done and get out of here quickly, Tyki told himself.

Tyki opened up the address on his phone to re-check on the details before he knocked on the door of what could possibly be a random stranger. Well, not that Lavi Bookman was much more than a stranger to him anyway. In the absence of a doorbell or knocker, Tyki tapped sharply on the pane of glass inset into the wood. He stood back and waited.

No response. Tyki waited a moment and then tried again, a little louder this time. From the other side of the wood came only silence. Tyki frowned and knocked more urgently now. He did not come all this way to find that the red head was not home.

"Who are you?" came a papery voice behind him.

Standing on the steps was a very small, very old man. He was not hunched or bent, just tiny. Tiny and wrinkled with age and sporting a hairline so receded all his hair was bunched into a single ponytail. Even though he stood on the fifth step, the old man barely came up to Tyki's chest. His droopy eyes were none too healthy, with dark black circles and slight yellowing to the whites of his eyes.

"Tyki Mikk," Tyki extended a hand which was completely disregarded. "I'm here to speak with Lavi Bookman. Would you happen to know if he's in?" Tyki spoke pleasantly enough, even if he did not have pleasant feelings towards the imp-like creature. One was supposed to respect elders, even if said elder happened to be looking at one with badly disguised contempt.

"How should I know? I'm just his landlord." The old man huffed abruptly. He folded his spindly arms and scrutinised the suspiciously well-dressed man.

"Alright then…" Tyki could feel the cold eyes taking in his expensive clothing, the watch on his wrist and the smart phone he was fiddling with. "Is there a problem?" The creepy old man was making him uneasy with his unwavering stare.

"I know your sort." The old man narrowed his eyes. "Coming around here with your flashy car and stinking of money. What kind of trouble has that stupid brat gotten himself into? Does he owe you too? Can't pay his bills but he can buy poison. Despicable. Can't say I'm surprised though."

An irrational urge to defend the red head rose in Tyki. He may not have known Lavi for very long, did not know him at all really, but the accusations seemed unfair. Never mind the personal insult of being branded some kind of drug dealer.

"I think you've misunderstood the situation. I'm only here to talk to Lavi; I assure you he is not in any kind of trouble. Although I do suggest you sort out your investment upstairs." Tyki gestured to the apartment that was still spewing noxious fumes. He turned his back on the old man, hoping he would disappear. Unlucky for Tyki, the annoying little man stayed rooted to the spot, burning a whole into the back of Tyki's head with his eyes.

The phone buzzed loudly in Tyki's hand: Lenalee. Tyki let it ring and knocked on the door again, hard enough to redden the skin around his knuckles. He almost growled in frustration, when the landlord joined him on the front step and elbowed Tyki out of the way. The small space forced Tyki to give way to the obnoxious elder.

Just when he was about to give up, a shadow loomed behind the glass pane along with the click and scrape of numerous locks and bolts being undone. A sleepy red head peaked around the door. The first thing he saw was the disapproving face of his cantankerous landlord. Great, two visits is one day.

"What do you want this Panda? I've already said I'll pay you at the end of the month." He said in a tired voice while angrily rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Who's this pimp?" The Panda demanded. Lavi nearly choked on the word as he finally caught sight of the man standing on his front step. A very annoyed Tyki Mikk stood there barely holding back his temper with a palm to his face.

"Who're you calling a pimp, old man?" Tyki rubbed his temple and the vein that threatened to explode there.

Lavi looked on in horror. The scene would have been comical, if it was not so embarrassing; his landlord vs his 'not a chance in hell anymore' employer.

"That's what they call your sort isn't it?" Panda said obstinately. "Damned shady."

"I think you should come inside – not you Panda! Him!" Lavi broke in and catching Tyki's arm, dragged the man inside. The calm collected part of Lavi took time to note the firm bicep beneath the suit jacket, and the rest of him rushed to slam the door shut in the old Panda's face.

The narrow hallway was too small for both to stand side by side and in the panicked attempt to shut the prying old man out Lavi ended up with his back pressed to the door, his hand still firmly wrapped around the Tyki's bicep. Tyki just looked down on him with those unnerving caramel eyes. Lavi's face burned with the sudden rush of blood and he let go of the other's arm as if electrified.

"The living room is this way," Lavi said weakly, pulling up the sweater that had slipped over his shoulder. He sidestepped awkwardly around Tyki and led the way through a side door to the left. Behind him, Tyki coughed once and followed meekly. The accusations and the sudden closeness were a bit too much to verbalise into a witty remark at the moment.

The living was small and cosy. An armchair and two-seater occupied one corner, with just enough room to squeeze in a round dark wood table that was currently covered in loose papers. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of books and photographs. And an antique looking clock ticked away from its place on the wall.

It was modest and fairly neat. Well aside from the papers scattered over the table and the small pile of articles that sat in the corner. Frames, vases and so on lay on in a pile on the floor. All of which seemed to belong to conspicuously empty places along the countless shelves.

Lavi watched Tyki taking in the surroundings and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about the mess, I'm a little behind with some payments, and the landlord seemed to think that was excuse enough to remove a few things." He let out a wavering nervous laugh, "Told you I wasn't having a particularly great day." he said apologetically.

"Your landlord seems like an ass anyway," Tyki said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Sorry about that out there. I don't do stuff like that… Don't know why the twisted git thought you were a… a… you know." Lavi was blushing again which made Tyki laugh heartily.

"Don't worry kid, I won't lose sleep over it." He decided he quite liked the blush on the red head. The pink dusting really set off his eyes. Had they been that green this morning?

Lavi stood a bit at a loss about what to do now that he had invited Tyki Mikk into his home. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" he cringed as soon as he said it, remembering the incident this morning. It had been the first thing that popped into his head.

That wicked gleam intensified, and Lavi found himself wondering again what kind of contact lenses was the man wearing. "You do kind of owe me one."

"Ok, er, take a seat, I'll be a moment." Lavi fled the room berating himself for bringing up that incident. He flipped the kettle on to boil seeing as he had had to sell the coffee machine a while back to pay for the last telephone bill.

In the living room, Tyki chuckled to himself at the awkward yet cute man. Could a man be cute? Lavi Bookman had no trouble at it. He explored the room in one sweeping glance. There was no TV, but a space had been set up where a TV would have conveniently fitted. In the corner next to the telephone stood an internet connection hub all set up, yet lacking the perky flashing LED. And of course he already knew that if he picked up the phone he would only hear the disconnected tone.

He moved over to the table. For every sheet on top of the table, it seemed as if there was another scrunched up piece on the floor. Each sheet was a pencil sketch of varying detail. Most seemed to be discard concept ideas; Tyki recognised Lulubell's elegant form and Kanda's characteristic scowl. That boy should count himself lucky that wrinkles hadn't crept up on him already.

Below the loose sheets there was a plain looking A3 sketch book, Tyki quickly checked over his shoulder and carefully picked it up. The first few pages were filled with random drawings, some of nature and others of people in a variety of settings; a coffee shop, a lecture hall, and even one of a train carriage. As Tyki flipped through the book the pictures became darker. The tone and shading conveyed a multitude of emotions.

A woman featured mostly in these sketches, middle aged judging by the lines around her mouth and eyes. She was a pretty woman with long hair framing an oval face; her smile was sweet, a tender smile meant more for other than for oneself. Even through the paper, Tyki felt her warmth. As Tyki progressed through the little book the woman became faded, wasted away but the smile was still there. Unchanged.

Tyki was so absorbed in the drawings that he did not hear the dull thud of a mug being set down on the table. Lavi reverently took the sketch out of Tyki's hands.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't realise these were so personal. The drawings are amazing." Tyki averted his gaze from Lavi who was lovingly putting the book down on the table. Flame red hair fell over his eyes making it difficult for Tyki to read his expression. "Who is she? If you don't mind my asking."

Lavi took a deep breath, one hand still pressed over the cover of the book on the table as if drawing strength from the pages within. "She was my mum." He said simply and emotionlessly.

"I'm sorry." Even as he said it, Tyki realised how false that sounded.

"Don't be," Lavi smiled sadly. He had a practised voice, but Tyki said nothing, wanting him to continue. That smile he wore now was painfully similar to one worn by the woman in the picture as she faded away. The likeness between mother and son was striking. "It's been a year now since she passed away. The old Panda thinks I'm too emotional and that I should sell her things to pay the rent."

Tyki was silent. He didn't know what to do in situations like this. Burying the urge to hug Lavi, he settled with patting him on the shoulder.

"Look, Mr Mikk, I'm sorry you had to come out here just to give a rejection. I forget to mention before I left that my telephone line is far from functional. Honestly I would have got the message from the silence. Didn't make much of an impression with that Kanda Yuu did I?" Lavi tapered off with a nervous laugh.

Tyki felt his heart lift, after dragging Lavi backwards into grief, there was something he could do to make him happy. "Lavi, if we were going to reject I highly doubt we would make a house call." He watched Lavi closely, waiting for the penny to drop.

Lavi's emerald eyes grew wide. "You… You're kidding me?"

"I kid you not. Job's yours." He offered his hand, which Lavi took and shook vigorously.

"Thank you so much Mr Mikk! I thought you guys hated me." The red head was practically bouncing off the walls out of sheer excitement. "And I'm so sorry my landlord thought you were a pimp and thanks for not letting that change your mind. Oh my god! I can actually make those clothes!"

"Relax kid, it's just a job. And just call me Tyki." Tyki felt rather bashful, in the face of such puppy fuelled fervour. "But Kanda does kind of hate you. He's probably jealous because he won't be the cutest in the office anymore. Not that he ever was."

"I'll bear that in mind." Too happy to be embarrassed by the older man's shameless flirting. Lavi's hands flew to his hair. He glanced at the clock. "I need to go quit my other job. Just in time too, my shift starts in an hour."

"Come on I'll drive you." Tyki offered. "Then I'll take you to the office for a proper introduction."

Lavi reined back in some of his excitement. "Isn't that a bit too soon?"

"Nope. We have a huge deadline coming up, we left finding a designer a bit late." Tyki waited for Lavi to make up his mind. He really hoped he would accept.

"Okay," he relented. "I just need to get changed into proper clothes. Do I need a suit or something?" Lavi bit his lip, unsure of the proper etiquette.

"Casual is fine, no one will be fussed. Just make it quick, I'm going to go warm up the car. If it hasn't been stolen yet…"

Ten minutes later the pair were inside Tyki's car. Lavi had settled on a dark pair of jeans, black lace-up army boots, and a woven denim shirt over a grey t-shirt. The outfit worked, the kid wasn't a fashion designer for nothing.

Lavi whistled loudly when he saw the sleek sports car. "Sweet ride, Tyki. How many souls did you have to sell to pay for this thing?"

"Just a few virgin sacrifices," Tyki joked, happy with the appreciation. He loved his car, a pity it was currently weighed against how much he wanted the red head climbing into the passenger seat. He inserted the post code of Lavi's soon to be former work place into the SatNav and pulled out. From one of the windows he could have sworn he saw the panda eyes of the annoying landlord peering out at them.

The drive to the café where Lavi worked would have been short if Tyki had not taken a longer route on purpose. Lavi asked him questions about the company, why Kanda was such a bitch, and if he was going to fire his secretary after all. Conversation flowed easily and Tyki informed him, if he really wanted protection from Kanda's wrath, his best bet would be to befriend Allen Walker.

"The kid with the bleached hair?" Lavi recalled the boy who had let him in this morning. "He seemed like such a nice kid, what's he doing with someone as stuck up as Kanda?"

"Beats me what Allen sees in him. Though watch out - Allen is no angel. Don't ever challenge him to a game of poker if I'm not there." Tyki turned to him in all seriousness, "Even then there would probably be no hope. Little con artist." He added grumpily.

"So I take it that this Allen has swindled you more than a fair few times?" Lavi quipped. Tyki pulled a face at him which just made him laugh harder.

"What about you, red?" They were stopped at a red light. Tyki looked Lavi sideways, trying to be nonchalant. "Do you have someone? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"I don't think that this is appropriate conversation between employer and employee." Lavi said evasively. Tyki watched him stare hard out of the window; maybe he wouldn't fire Lenalee after all. In fact he would have to send her a bouquet of flowers to thank her for putting him on that bus.

"What a shame, so am I going to have to pretend that you weren't checking me out on the bus?" The office was going to be a lot more fun with Lavi Bookman around. There was a studio space behind the main building that had already been bought by Noah's Ark for their prospective designer.

"I- I was not! I was just appreciating the suit," Lavi stopped himself. Would he be fired if he tried to escape the car right now? "There's no good way to defend myself is there?"

"Nope." Tyki smirked at him through the rear-view mirror. "Just relax will you? You're one of us now. We're not a conventional company. Feel free to be yourself and have a laugh every now and again. Be yourself, and no one will judge you. Apart from Kanda; He judges everyone. To make up for that I'll sort out an advance on your first month pay; get that ghoul of a landlord off your back."

"You can do that?" Lavi exclaimed in disbelief.

"Sure can, you're talking to the Noah's Ark Executive Finance Director. Wages and salaries come under my jurisdiction. As does budgeting and expenses. We'll be working together a lot."

Lavi sat back, reassured by Tyki. At least now, he had already done the most embarrassing thing he could do in front of an employer. And said employer had taken it all in good humour. On top of that he would no longer have to worry about his money problems. The weight of Atlas was lifted from his shoulders and Lavi felt for the first in forever that he could breathe easy.

"Hey," Lavi sat up suddenly. "We passed the café."

Tyki stared straight ahead. "There are quite a few things for us to get through today. So I don't think we will be stopping. They'll have to make do with a call."

Tyki threw his phone to the wide eyed red head in the passenger side of the car.

"Welcome to Noah's Ark."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone, how are you?**

**Thanks for waiting patiently and the encouraging comments and reviews. I'm on a short break from work so managed to squeeze in a chapter! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The last month had flown by in a dizzying blur of seemingly endless introductions and meetings. Lavi had gotten to the point where he could feel his brain grow numb from the mountainous workload he had to get through.<p>

On that first bewildering day, when Lavi had been unexpectedly elevated from the ranks of the unemployed, he had been dragged around two of the three Noah's Ark stores on a personal tour by Tyki, the company's finance director. The man seemed altogether too happy about leading the little meet and greet that Lavi suspected Tyki was evading doing any actual work that day. Lavi could only shake his head at the laid back character of the senior management team of Noah's Ark.

Since then Lavi had been given his own workshop in a warehouse behind the main flagship store, and a design team. It was here that Lavi spent most of his time. When he was not in one of those never ending design meetings or doing his agreed one day's work on the shop floor, Lavi could be found in his workshop scribbling page after page of sketches that were just not good enough. Alongside all this Lavi had also been handed a deadline. With only four days left to create a dazzlingly new concept brief and buy in the autumn lines, Lavi was feeling the pressure.

It was no surprise then when Allen Walker found the exhausted red head knocked out behind a stack of precariously stacked boxes in the men's stockroom. There were dark bags under Lavi's eyes that gave away just how much the last month had taken out of him. He sighed at the sight and rearranged some of the boxes to better hide the sleeping man.

The manager on tonight was Link and if the paper pushing try hard saw this he would throw a fit. Lavi was too likeable to let him get called out by Link. Plus the poor guy looked like he really could do with the few extra minutes sleep, the store had already closed and Allen was more than capable of clearing up by himself. He would come back and wake Lavi when it was time to lock up.

"You alright back there Al?" Allen turned to shush Chaoji as the man lumbered in carrying an overflowing tote. Puzzled, Chaoji pulled a stark white earphone out of his ear and raised a questioning eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Nothing, here let me help you." Allen reached out to take the box, but Chaoji shook his head and made to drop the tote next to the boxes. "Okay just be careful Lavi is -"

Unfortunately Chaoji had his back turned to Allen and did not see the boy wildly windmilling his arms.

The box dropped to the floor with a heavy thud sending tremors through the floor. Allen watched horrified as the tower of boxes tilted, swayed and finally toppled over onto the unsuspecting red head.

"Chaoji!" Allen rushed forward, frantically throwing boxes aside. Chaoji pulled the other earphone out, now not quite understanding the low pained groans coming from under the wreckage. "What the -?" As if he had seen a ghoul, the man backed away from the wriggling boxes.

A ruffled red head emerged from the pile, laughing, completely unperturbed by the demolition. "Relax Allen, I'm not dead or worse concussed," Lavi joked, batting away the concerned store worker as he fretted over him.

"How is concussed worse than dead?" Allen asked incredulously.

"Concussions hurt." The red head smiled at Chaoji who was still in shock at the other end of the stockroom. "Is he going to be okay? Nothing broken Chaoji, see?"

"He'll survive." Allen reassured Chaoji and rolled his eyes as the man nearly jumped out of his skin when Lavi over dramatised a shoulder strain. Mercifully Allan waved Chaoji back out onto the shop floor as Lavi chuckled at the poor man's expense. However Allen caught a fleeting grimace pass over Lavi's face as he tested the joint where a rather sharp corner of a box had hit him. The shoulder must have taken some damage after all.

"Lavi," Immediately Allen regretted his tone. The mental wall that Lavi threw up was almost a visible change. "Is everything alright?"

"What?" Lavi said off handedly. He cringed at how obviously false he sounded but the last thing he needed right now was an agony aunt to share his woes. "Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Shouldn't have taken a nap back here, just a bit tired. Sorry."

"Not calling you out on laziness, but sleeping in the stockroom is a bit much. Are you getting enough sleep at home?"

"More than my fair share mate." Lavi flashed a winning smile. If Allen had not just caught the man napping he would have almost believed the lie.

"Hmmm alright." It would be best to let the matter drop for now. Or at least approach from another angle. "The deadline is coming on quickly now? Kanda won't admit it but he's a little nervous that you haven't even started any tailoring yet."

"Let's get out of here, Link is probably trolling the cameras right now wondering where the heck the men's department staff are hiding." Despite the loud protests from Allen, Lavi took the boy by the shoulders and forcibly steered him out of the stockroom and away from that particular conversation point. "You can tell Kanda to keep waiting like a good little boy… Maybe choose some different words though. I'm not entirely sure if Kanda hates me or if he's secretly in love with me?"

A sharp jab to his midriff and Lavi doubled over clutching his stomach. "Bloody hell Allen, you're elbows are sharp!"

"Just bringing you back to reality." Allen chuckled. His expression softened as he took a glance around the quiet shop and looked back at Lavi. There was not much left to do anyway. It had been a rather slow Saturday. Customers had a sixth sense for bargains and were most likely anticipating the coming mid-season sales. "You may as well head off now Lavi. Chaoji and I can take care of the rest tonight. Just get some sleep alright."

"Thanks Allen, appreciate it." Lavi patted Allen on the shoulder. There was a reason this kid was employee of the month.

"Yeah, yeah whatever just get out of here before Link does the rounds." Allen mumbled humbly. He made a mental note to tell Kanda to get off the new designer's back as Lavi disappeared around the corner in the direction of his workshop.

Once outside, Lavi felt a lot better. The breeze blew through his hair massaging his aching head ,leaving him cool and refreshed. Grateful for the peace and quiet Lavi slowed his pace to take advantage of the lack of bustling customers. Still it was only a short walk to the warehouse, round the corner and through the alley between Noah's Ark and the sports store next door.

The warehouse was a large open space that had been previously used as a docking bay to unload stock deliveries to the shop. Now that the company had an in-house designer, the space had been split in two. While it was still used as a docking bay, there was now also a design room with a number or workstations and a huge white board stood behind the desk that Lavi had chosen as his personal space. Along one side of the room, standing to military precision, was an army of dress forms.

The only signs of use were the open folders and cluttered sheets of paper on his table. Lavi ran his hand over the top of a sewing machine and reflected on just how painfully bare the room was. Everything was all so clinical and impersonal.

And really something had to be done about that whiteboard. He picked up a black dry wipe pen and drew little chibi versions of his team. There was Kanda and Lulubell looking glamorous and in the background Doug was trying to stop Daisya from kicking a scrunched up ball of paper at an unsuspecting starry-eyed Jonny. Cute avatars of Reever and Miranda held each other near tears under a grandfather clock. With a grin Lavi added himself napping at the base of the clock.

"If only the board accepted whiteboard comic strips instead of design briefs eh?" The red marker in his hand jumped and in his haste to turn around he dragged a horrible scribble across his avatar. On the other side of the table stood Tyki offering an apologetic smile. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"What are you? A ghost?" Lavi exclaimed.

"Sorry?" Tyki replied, not sounding very sorry at all.

"Don't worry a ruined doodle isn't the worst thing that's happened tonight." Lavi said lightly and rubbed the board clean. Tyki stood a little straighter, concern flashing across his features. Lavi looked away quickly, those bright eyes still made him a little uncomfortable. "Let's just say I've learnt to never close my eyes for too long in the stockroom. What brings you down here anyway? It's a a bit late for a meeting."

"I just wanted to catch up with you before your day off. How are you getting on with the brief? Deadlines only a few days away." Tyki perused the papers on the table top. Was he avoiding eye contact? "These look good Lavi, however am I right to assume these are all on the reject list?"

"Yeah…"

Tyki sat down on a stool, "Lavi, sit down." Lavi awkwardly followed the instruction. The hair on the back of his neck prickled, anxiously anticipating what could have bought on this late talk.

" Lavi we know this is your first major project. There's quite a lot of pressure on you," Tyki rested his chin on his palm. "It doesn't have to be that way. There's a lot of help available to you, you just need to ask for it."

"I know but," Lavi began, though he did not know how he wanted to finish the sentence. Unsure what to do with his hands, Lavi played the cuffs of his shirt. Fold, unfold, repeat. "But I just want to make it perfect. The brief was pretty vague: classic chic, original and in line with existing brands. I don't want it to be boring, you know."

"Fashions not so difficult, Lavi." Tyki cut off Lavi with a lazy wave of his hand. "The public, and the board, would have you believe that originality is what they want. It's not. The truth is they don't like change. What they do like is variation. Classic chic doesn't have to be boring. Everyone loves retro throwbacks every now and again don't they?"

"What are you saying?" Lavi tried to make sense of what Tyki was saying. He had been hired because he bought originality to the company. However, thats not what the company wants him to achieve with them in the long run… "Sacrifice originality for marketability?"

"Not exactly," Tyki said slowly fixing Lavi in his gaze. "We're not a runway project Lavi, we're trying to make waves. I don't mean to say throw originality to the winds, just find what works and do it… differently."

"I see." Lavi nodded along. It made sense. He had been going at from the angle that he had something to prove. The contradictory outline of original classic had thrown him far of course. At the heart of it Lavi just wanted to showcase his talent, but that was not the point of designing for a retail store. In the whirlwind of creativity he had forgotten the business.

"Above all else Lavi, just take a step back and let it come together on its own."

"I know, I guess I'm really over thinking it all." Lavi said weakly, looking down at his lap. The past month he felt like he had been chasing ideas around his head like butterflies that kept slipping through the net. _I don't want to let you down, _Lavi said to himself. The thought took Lavi by surprise. It was not that he was trying to prove himself, but he was trying to prove himself worthy of the trust Tyki had put in him when he hired him.

"Listen," Tyki reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a bundle of envelopes. He slid the pack across the table to Lavi, who picked it up tentatively. "I haven't had a chance to come down here much, you settling in alright?"

"Feels a bit too big in here sometimes…" Lavi pushed back on his stool to stand up, looking around at the bare walls.

"Then fill it up." Tyki said simply. "Here I thought I'd bring you your pay check. And there's also a list of companies we have worked really well in the past and contact details for some great minds we've co-ordinated with off the books. Just something to give you a bit of juice until the final deadline."

"You didn't have to. Thanks." Lavi felt a rush of feeling at the gesture. "But it's a bit short notice now isn't it? Doubt these people will appreciate a call on a Sunday."

"They _will_ be available. I have no doubt about that." Tyki said firmly meeting Lavi's gaze. Lavi felt as if Tyki was looking right through him, he focused on gathering up his notebooks to dispel the discomfort. "How are you Lavi? You don't look like you're getting enough sleep."

"I'm fine." The statement was turning into a mantra this evening, Lavi thought to himself. "Just the end of a long week."

Not taking that for an answer, Tyki walked around the table and held a cool palm against Lavi's forehead, his other hand securely cupped around the back of his head. Lavi gasped at the sudden contact.

Lavi's brain seemed to have stopped working. Being so close to Tyki was like holding a magnet over a circuit board; Everything stopped. Inside his chest Lavi's heart beat out a drumroll so loud the blood roared in his ears. The notebooks he clutched tightly in his arms were the only barrier preventing the rapid thumps reaching Tyki's ear. With such close proximity was it any wonder that his body temperature was rapidly increasing.

"You're hot." The deep rumble of Tyki's voice washed over Lavi.

"Thanks, I do try to be modest." Somehow, somehow god had blessed Lavi with enough reserve brain cells to put the witty quip together.

Tyki did not seem to find it funny however. His eyebrows knit together closely. "When was the last time you slept properly?"

Lavi ducked out of the grip, simultaneously missing the coolness and feeling guilty as he caught the hurt look on Tyki's face. There was no way the man was hurt about that, he was probably more concerned about the possibility of compromising the deadline.

"What's proper? I've never really slept more than 4 or 5 hours a night. And maybe only averaged about that much this week. It's kind of normal for me." Lavi tried to shake it off nonchalantly.

"I'm taking you home right now." Tyki declared suddenly. "My car is out front. Let's go."

"What? No, I'll get the bus."

"I said, I'm taking you home. It's cold out, you're going to catch something in this state and then the deadline will have to be pushed back."

Of course, the deadline. Lavi deflated and gave in to Tyki's demand. "Alright fine, let me just bag these up."

The pair walked quietly out of the warehouse and back through the alley to the main road. Lavi kept his head down thankful that he had the excuse of illness to avoid the apprehensive glances that Tyki kept shooting towards him. He could still feel the cool weight of that hand on his skin.

"By the way I'm keeping this." Between his fingers was a thin sheet of paper that should still be on his desk and certainly not in Tyki Mikk's hands. Thank goodness for the darkness because Lavi felt his face reach a new level of burning shame. "You must eidetic memory Lavi, I swear you made me even better looking. The interview was barely twenty minutes long. How did you get so much detail?"

"I don't know… good memory?" The picture in Tyki's hand was a sketch of the finance director studying the art portfolios at the interview. Lavi was veritably mortified. When had Tyki even swiped the picture from the table? "I do random drawings to stress relieve. Don't get any weird ideas or anything."

"Hey I didn't have any, but now that you're so defensive…" Tyki wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. and threw an arm over Lavi's shoulder. "If its stress relief you're in need of, just give me a call."

"You are so weird!" Tyki must have a gift. He was the only person Lavi knew who could go from intensely cool to complete douchebag with such speed. He left the man laughing behind him.

"Come back, I'm only joking. Lavi!"

Lavi spotted the black coupe and reluctantly waited for Tyki to catch up. He was not about to turn down the free ride home, even if he had to endure the perverted idiot.

"Lavi!" A different voice called out to him. From the entrance of the store Allen waved energetically, beside him stood Kanda as thunder faced as ever.. At least one of them looked happy to see him. Allen dragged Kanda over and Lavi had to admit he was a little bit frightened by the expression the model was wearing. "How come you haven't gone home yet? Do you need a lift?"

"Oi Moyashi! We are not driving him home!" Kanda growled. Allen rolled his eyes and continued brightly despite the objection. "The next bus is going to be awhile. Come with us."

"That won't be necessary Allen, I'll be the chauffeur tonight." Tyki walked up behind the small group. "Happy to see you too Kanda. Does your boyfriend ever smile Allen?"

"Sometimes, just not in public." Allen shrugged happily. "If you guys are going together, we'll be heading off too. Goodnight."

Kanda had other plans, however. He stood rooted to the spot. "He's coming with us."

"Excuse me?" Tyki raised a confused eyebrow at Kanda's sudden change of heart. Lavi and Allen exchanged puzzled glances. Both of the men beside them were staring intently at each other.

"I said I'm going to drive this idiot home." Kanda said.

"Is that so?" Amused by the challenge Tyki proceeded to unlock the car. "I thought I just heard you say you weren't going to let Lavi into your car."

"Hey!" Lavi interjected, "First of all, I'm offended Kanda. And second don't fight over me, I'm flattered but…"

"And what about Lulubell? She's sitting up there in your office waiting for the lift you're about to give to him." Kanda smirked smugly.

"Damn it!" Tyki muttered under his breath as he looked up at the office conflicted. Lavi's stomach did a backflip, leaving him feeling queasy. "I can drop you home first…"

"We can get you home faster Lavi. Come on, let's go." Kanda ordered and started to walk off.

There really was not much of an option, Lavi was not going to let himself become a third wheel. He shrugged half-heartedly at Tyki and followed Kanda and Allen.

"Kanda, a word." Tyki called out sternly after the trio, causing the model to let out an annoying huff.

"I won't be long." Keys rattled quietly as Kanda handed them over to Allen and walked back to the tall finance director. It was difficult to make out what was being said. Tyki stood with his back to Lavi and Allen. His broad shoulders towered over Kanda and completely hid him from view.

"What do you think that was about?" Allen asked quietly. The pair peered out of the windows of Kanda's car trying to spy on the two men.

"No clue." Lavi scratched his head. the little exchange had left him baffled. "Stop staring he's coming back." They quickly shuffled back into more natural positions in their seats; Allen in the front passenger seat and Lavi at the back.

"Everything ok?" Allen followed Kanda with his eyes. Whatever happened it seemed like Kanda was happy with the outcome.

"Perfect. Let's go. Put your belt on!" Lavi jumped at the snapping tone and the dark glare he was receiving through the rear view mirror. Grudgingly he fastened his seat belt. The raven put his foot down and they sped off leaving Tyki behind.

Lavi could not explain to himself how he felt about what had just happened. Sure Tyki was annoying and made inappropriate comments, but he had shown tonight that he was also a considerate manager. Tyki was also fun to be around. Hearing he had a date tonight with Lulubell Noah, the stunning face of Noah's Ark, was more than a news bite — it was a punch in the gut. He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind. There were bigger things to worry about, namely the board meeting which was now only 4 days away.

Nevertheless, Lavi found it difficult to pinpoint when he had started to view Tyki Mikk as more than just the finance director.

* * *

><p><strong>As ever, please let me know what you think. Good or bad. Every little helps!<strong>

**Until next time! :)**


End file.
